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NBA Draft Lottery: 4 things to watch for

Here are four things to watch for at the NBA Draft Lottery in New York City on Tuesday evening. The Knicks and Sixers are both Lottery teams, while the Nets, owners of the worst record in the NBA, will send their pick to the Celtics

By the time you go to bed on Tuesday evening, the NBA Draft picture will be a little clearer. Well, sort of.

The NBA Draft Lottery will take place on Tuesday (ESPN, 8:55 p.m.) at the New York Hilton Midtown. When it is over, the entire first round will have an order, the team with the No. 1 pick will be on the clock for the June 22 NBA Draft, and the real fun can begin with projections being made all over the board.

The fact that the Knicks actually own their first-round pick this spring, not to mention the Nets don't, could make this a fun(ny) NBA Draft season locally. Below, we present four things to watch for at the NBA Draft Lottery.

1. It could be a tough night for Nets fans: The blockbuster trade former Nets General Manager Billy King made on the afternoon of the 2013 NBA Draft is the gift that keeps on giving to the Boston Celtics. As part of the deal that brought Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn, the Celtics have the right to swap 2017 first-round picks with the Nets. That is going to happen because with the Nets having the worst record in the NBA this season, they have the highest probability of getting the No. 1 pick. Even if it does not end up being the No. 1 pick, that Nets-to-Celtics swap is going yield a high Lottery pick. That is the bad news for the Nets. The good news? They will have two first-round picks on June 22, No. 22 acquired in a trade with the Washington Wizards, and No. 27 in the Celtics swap.

2. The Knicks actually own their first-round pick: It feels like a rarity that the Knicks actually own their first-round pick, but here we are. Sitting with the seventh-best odds of landing No. 1, the Knicks should be in the market for a point guard, and this draft happens to be heavy at the top in that area. According to DraftExpress.com, five of the first 10 picks are currently projected as point guards, including the top two, Washington freshman Markelle Fultz and UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball. Speaking of Ball..................

3. Ball could be in the mix at No. 1: Much of the attention on Ball lately as focused on his outspoken father, LaVar. For all of that noise, the fact of the matter is that Lonzo has proven to be a gifted player at his position, and a potentially-generational talent as a passer. No NBA decision-maker is going to be scared off by what his father does or says, and that should be remembered as the next five weeks play out. If the Lakers get the No. 1 pick Tuesday, get for immediate speculation about one of the NBA's marquee franchises possibly selecting the Anaheim, Calif. native.

4. A big night for the Sixers: A lot of tanking, a lot of stockpiling assets and a lot of losing has led the Sixers to Tuesday, when they could end up with two Lottery picks. As part of a previous trade, the Sixers get whichever his higher between its own pick, currently slotted at No. 4, or that of the Sacramento Kings, currently slotted at No. 8. Then comes the biggie. If the Los Angeles Lakers' pick falls outside the top 3, it is currently slotted at No 3, it goes to the Sixers. In short, the best case scenario Tuesday night will have Sixers brass walking out of the Hilton with the first and fourth picks.